First to Fly

Name and Location:

Gus Pope

New York

Brand Name:

First to Fly

Slogan:

Maintain constant flight.

Fonts and Logos:

Everything started as sketches in my notebook. First I played around with the name, drawing different fonts, I decided that it would be best to have 2 font options, a script and a print, the script could be used for certain details on pieces in the future, and the official font would be the print font. Then it came time to decide on a logo. When it came to deciding on a logo, I knew that I couldn't settle for just one image. I decided that I needed a logo that would play the role of simplifying the full brand name, First to Fly. To fulfill this purpose of simplifying the brand name, I decided on the FtF logo, a backwards F, for First, a lower case T, for to and a forward facing F, for fly, that all shared the same center vertical stroke. I also needed a strictly artistic logo of something that reprsented the concept of the brand, I decided on the Grasshopper.

I can imagine that some people think that a grasshopper does not make for a very good clothing brand logo. When I decided that the Grasshopper would be the logo for First to Fly, some people were confused, they thought of eagles and planes when they thought of flying, things that are bold, powerful, and iconic, objects that are known for flying. Grasshoppers actually do fly, only for short distances, but they fly nonetheless. So why did I pick the Grasshopper? Living things have been used as logos in fashion for a long time, the Polo horse, the Lacoste alligator, the Penguin penguin, the Abercrombie & Fitch moose, the list goes on, however I have seen very few insects used as logos. I think of grasshoppers as an insect that people are indifferent towards, people do not try to kill them immediately like mosquitoes or flies, yet they are not revered, they are more unnoticed. Being unnoticed, however, does not make grasshoppers worthless, they are small creatures, they live in a large world, and they have much distance to cover. Grasshoppers pick a destination to move to, and using their hind legs propel themselves into the air to fly to their destination. In concept, this relates to myself, I am pushing myself into situations so that I can get to where I want to be. I blend in with everyone else, people will look past me, but I am still different, and I am driven.

Fonts:

Logos:

Different Sized Logo Mock-Ups:

Button:

T-Shirt:

Billboard:

Image of Branded Car Extra Credit:

About:

First to Fly is a brand that I have just begun designing. In June, 3 of my friends came to me with a brand name, First to Fly, and asked for my help to make clothing. I had always been interested in design, especially fashion design, so of course I said yes. I have always been intrigued by streetwear and high fashion, but I was dissapointed that there was nothing in between. I found streetwear to be cool and straightforward, with interesting fonts and logos, however the designs tended to be a little bland as they were commonly just logos printed onto t-shirts. High fashion always appealed to me because it was more avant-garde, more artistic, however, it was also way more expensive. The goal of First to Fly is to find a balance between streetwear and high fashion, with interactive designs that are thought-out and artistic, but with a price point that is accessible even to high school students like me. My friends and I began this project with no experience in the fashion realm, no connections, and little start-up money. One day I was very lucky to walk into the Bape store in NYC and meet someone who gave me a contact to do screenprinting, after that I started making designs and now I have actual product.